Amid controversy, Freeport officials vote to place restrictions on short-term rentals - pressherald.com

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Freeport officials approved an ordinance regulating short-term rentals Tuesday night after lengthy deliberations and various amendments to the proposal.

The ordinance passed in a 6-1 vote. Councilor Chip Lawrence was the only vote against the motion.

“I still think it’s too restrictive and another ordinance that says come to Freeport, do business but don’t do business,” Lawrence said in the meeting. “It has gotten much better, but I still think there is work to do.”

The ordinance places restrictions on short-term rentals — such as Airbnb and VRBO — which have grown in popularity over the last decade. More specifically, the ordinance requires owners to register their short-term rentals and limits how many rentals can operate in town.

It also prohibits more than 16 people from attending a gathering or event in a shot-term rental. However, bookings exceeding that limit made prior to April 27 will be grandfathered in. Bookings are also limited to a maximum of two guests per bedroom and no more than two additional overnight guests.

The ordinance also addresses safety, noise, trash and parking issues, among other things, and requires that an emergency contact person be available to respond to complaints within 60 minutes in a 24-hour period.

During the public hearing portion of the meeting, residents expressed a wide range of opinions.

“I’m against the ordinance, I’ve been renting my family property for many years about 15,” Freeport resident Susan Murphy said. “I think there may be a lot of people out there who are short-term rental owners who don’t know about this.”

Freeport resident Joyce Veilleux was in favor of the ordinance.

“Unfortunately, there are properties in Freeport that are un-hosted and they don’t seem to care about the effect that their guests may have on the neighbors,” Veilleux said. “This ordinance will give the neighbors the opportunities to resolve these issues with the town’s help.”

According to AirDNA, a website that provides vacation rental data, Freeport currently has 63 active rentals — a number that increases during the summer months. 75% of the active rentals are listed on Airbnb and 9% are listed on VRBO.

Town Manager Peter Joseph said in an interview last week that Freeport has received an estimated 30 complaints from various houses and neighborhoods regarding Airbnb.

This story will be updated.

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